Todd Giles, LCSW
Family Therapist
Ever get frustrated with yourself because a difficult conversation went poorly? Had a month when your anxiety's only gotten worse and worse? One of those weeks when you have trouble believing in yourself?
I would enjoy the opportunity to listen, and if you’re interested, to help you build empathy, respect, and forgiveness for your frustrated self. I believe everything each of us knows today we learned by making a mistake, and mistakes are not to be ashamed of but are actually the catalysts for growth.
When it comes to relationships, I believe that most conflicts can be reframed as differences in values. Examining the differences between your values and a loved one’s values doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Opportunities abound for us to modify our expectations and to set healthy boundaries in order to increase our peace. And I believe that life is not a quest for perfection, but rather a quest for enjoyable, sustainable growth.
That's how I approach therapeutic sessions--listen long and carefully, pinpoint opportunities for change, and then help build out your emotional toolbox with tips, tricks, and new ways of looking at the world around you. Cognitive therapeutic techniques for increasing your personal awareness, paired with the principles of mindfulness and acceptance from DBT, provide solid frameworks for personal growth.
Helping people is my passion--and for many years I used technology in the business world to help people come together to collaborate on music, videogames, and other artistic endeavors. The best part of my job has always been listening to people describe their greatest challenges and then help them choose the best strategies for overcoming them. I can help your family implement simple technological solutions to manage screen time, enhance executive skills, and maximize the benefits of family time. Together, we can create rules of engagement--guidelines for where, when, and how to have important conversations.
I've spent the last four years providing brief solution-focused therapy to emotionally-challenged, aggressive adolescents, and their families. I believe that relationships improve when people accept their differences, communicate their emotions clearly, and learn new coping skills to weather the toughest of times. While no two families are the same, most learn that fostering mutual respect, positivity, a nonjudgmental environment and setting crystal clear, reasonable expectations are reliable strategies for reducing aggression and conflic